An introduction to the AFTRS Foundation Diploma

The Foundation Diploma is a generalist year in screen arts designed to develop curiosity, creativity, imagination, and general cinematic and interactive story-telling skills. Teaching is conducted via a series of practical and conceptual/ideas-based workshop cycles led by experienced industry practitioners. These workshops are accompanied by a grounding in professional practice, which provides an opportunity to make projects, alone or with fellow students.

The AFTRS Foundation Diploma has been designed for creative students to explore their individual strengths and interests. Students work in small collaborative groups and learn through practical application. This course provides an opportunity to understand and learn about the specialisations that make up all production activities across all platforms, in the screen arts and broadcast sector in a practical ‘hands-on’ way.

Character Performance and Script

This workshop focuses on classic acting techniques and how they inform character and script. Students will examine how actors, directors and writers create character. Students will be introduced to an insider’s view of the acting process by working directly with professional actors and together they will explore the dynamic relationship between script and performance.

Creating Experiences

Discover how to tell stories across platform using the internet, games technologies and interactive media. In this workshop students explore the multitude of platforms that exist around them including: mobile devices, TV, cinema, the street, immersive web and game worlds. They learn to construct complex narratives, design social media campaigns and control the real time flow of conversations as cross-media stories take on a life of their own. This workshop explores non-linear storytelling and extends beyond a singular story arc, preparing students for a multi platform future.

Observation and Research

In this documentary workshop, students discover the rich source of stories in the real world and learn the skills to access them. This workshop introduces and develops the skills of observation and research needed to generate stories for film, television and new media. Students observe, research, shoot and edit stories from real life.

Story and Audience

In this workshop, students learn how stories work and how to use this knowledge to engage audiences. This is a hands-on workshop where students apply the narrative techniques they have learned by shooting and editing their own original stories.

Designing Worlds

Production design is more than just designing sets for movies. In this workshop you will explore the principles of design and learn how to create authentic story worlds for all screen forms from cinema to games.

Emotional Noise

Audiences are often unconscious of the power of sound.  In this workshop students learn about the underlying relationships between sound-design, music and emotion for film, television and radio.

Image

Cinematography is the language of the screen and this workshop teaches students the art of creating stories with a camera. Students have the opportunity to shoot exercises which convey story and emotion through moving and still images.

Juxtaposition and Rhythm

Editing is the art of putting images and sound together to create a total story experience. Juxtaposition and Rhythm looks at ‘form’ in film making – the devices that film makers use. Students look at how to engage the audience and make a film that touches people. You always remember how a film made you feel. In J+R students look at, discuss and then put into practice, how film makers ‘built’ their films – what elements and devices they used to tell their stories effectively.

Professional Practice

Students will learn how to manage screen production in  practical way as they examine professional production methods and organisational techniques.

Catherine Gleeson, Head Foundation Diploma